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as in to rape
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent criminal statutes delineating acts that constitute violating another person

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of violate That has led to China and the US trading barbs in the past week, over which side violated the temporary trade agreement reached in Geneva. John Liu, CNN Money, 5 June 2025 If an interaction that violates our Community Guidelines occurs, report it to us. ArsTechnica, 5 June 2025 Trump administration targeting more CT school districts over transgender policies The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether district policy was violating federal law by allowing transgender students to participate in sports and use facilities aligned with their gender identity. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025 But looming in the background is Lee’s case for violating South Korea’s election law that could potentially bar him from politics for at least five years. Charlie Campbell, Time, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for violate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for violate
Verb
  • But the Marlins roared back in the fifth and seemed to break the game open with a six-run outburst that ended Taj Bradley’s afternoon and also roughed up reliever Mason Montgomery.
    Compiled From Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
  • Revamping the system could be especially beneficial for small brands, but this would break longstanding business practices and is resisted by existing players in the industry.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • And the Germans entered forcibly, violating all that, desecrating it with their presence.
    Ann Goldstein, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
  • Crumb desecrated sleek American surfaces in a way that felt disturbing and profound, especially to the many young people also dropping acid.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In the meantime, four other women in the U.K. have continued with a separate lawsuit against Andrew Tate, accusing him in a civil proceeding of having raped and physically abused them, and insisting police and prosecutors had failed them by declining to pursue criminal charges several years ago.
    Willem Marx, NPR, 28 May 2025
  • According to LaBella’s lawsuit, Costner, the director, improvised a scene in which Hunt’s character would be raped.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • Some versions held for over 40 days before decomposition breached the barrier.
    Peter Cummings, Scientific American, 3 June 2025
  • Google also censors certain prompts and outputs that breach the company's content agreement.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • The first move for a mistrial from Combs’ legal team occurred at the end of May, after prosecutors asked Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator Lance Jimenez if fingerprint evidence related to the bombing of Kid Cudi's car had been destroyed.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 8 June 2025
  • Aid distributed inside Israeli military zones Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • He was initially charged with trespass, but Habba dropped that charge last month and charged McIver with two counts of assaulting officers stemming from her role in the skirmish at the facility’s gate. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa rebuked Habba’s office after moving to dismiss the charges.
    Mike Catalini, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
  • Diddy trial recap: Ex-aide Mia says Diddy assaulted Cassie at Brad Pitt movie premiere Supporting others Thurston aims to document her journey to recovery in the hope of helping others.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • Without hesitation, Meghan challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values.
    Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
  • In his speech before Congress, which was delivered in 2015, the pope urged a welcoming hand to refugees, not rejection, a theme that contravenes today’s Trump Administration policy of blocking newcomers at U.S. borders.
    David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Paintings whose reverence for Indigenous people had once shocked were now held in contempt, viewed as defiling those same people.
    Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 30 May 2025
  • The sacred plant, long defiled, heralded, as in the time of the Inca and all the ancient civilizations of the Andes, as a gift of the gods.
    Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Violate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/violate. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.

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